Hagees was created by Bob Budiansky and Bret Blevins and first appeared in Sleepwalker #1. A former defense contractor who designed missile propulsion systems, Jeff Hagees took to playing pool to relieve the stress of his job. He soon amasses large gambling debts, which leads his employers to become suspicious that he is selling company secrets to pay them off. Despite having no proof, Hagees' employers fired him. Combining his love of pool with his engineering talents, he fashions a criminal identity for himself as 8-Ball, engaging in a highly successful crime spree in New York. In one of his costumed robberies, he faces the alien Sleepwalker. The hero nearly captures 8-Ball for the police, but Rick Sheridan (the human to whom Sleepwalker is bonded) wakes up, allowing 8-Ball to escape.^[1] When 8-Ball and Sleepwalker next meet, 8-Ball proves victorious; distracting the hero by shooting innocent bystanders. He attempts to kill Sleepwalker, but the hero manages to escape.^[2] Later, when Rick and Sleepwalker had switched bodies, 8-Ball and the Hobgoblin attack Rick, believing him to be Sleepwalker, to win a $100,000 bet. The inexperienced Rick is no match for them, which makes 8-Ball realize Rick was not the actual Sleepwalker. 8-Ball fights Hobgoblin to make him stop, although by that time Rick is already dying.^[3]

At some point, 8-Ball is finally captured and imprisoned. He teams up with a number of other villains against the She-Hulk, although they are defeated.^[4]

8-Ball joins up with Freezer Burn, Humbug, and Whirlwind. They steal from the crime lord Ricadonna by breaking into her home later at night while she is at a party, unwittingly taking a dangerous computer virus.^[5] 8-Ball is tracked down at his grandmother's house by bounty hunters Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Before he can give them any information, he is killed by the Wrecker^[6]

A brilliant engineer with an advanced degree in engineering, 8-Ball created a four-man hovercraft in the shape of a pool rack and briefly led a gang of costumed villains, also named after pool balls. He designed a cue stick with technology that amplifies the force against objects it strikes a thousandfold, which he uses to turn things from tires to dumpsters to cars into projectile weapons. He also uses explosive grenades, fireworks, and flying miniature cameras, all painted to resemble billiard balls. He is also a skilled gymnast and expert pool player.

Roderick Kingsley later gives the original 8-Ball's gear to an unnamed criminal who is seen at the former's side when the Hobgoblin led his henchmen into fighting the Goblin King's Goblin Nation. After Hobgoblin is killed by the Goblin King, 8-Ball is among the villains who defect to the Goblin Nation.^[7] Following Spider-Man's later victory over the Goblin King, 8-Ball and other former Hobgoblin minions are seen at a bar, where they encounter Electro.^[8]

8-Ball is among the supervillains assembled by Missile Mate to join a different Goblin King and the remnants of the Goblin Nation upon claiming that Roderick Kingsley had "abandoned" them.^[9]

He was later a member of Swarm's Sinister Six when they attack Spider-Man and the students of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. They surrender once Swarm is defeated by Hellion (Marvel Comics).^[10]

The villain is later seen involved with the Black Cat's criminal empire.^[11]

During the "Hunted" storyline, 8-Ball was seen as a patron at the Pop-Up with No Name.^[12]